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It's back to the Upper East Side dog run fight: Remember how dog owners are battling over a future 6,200 square foot (!) dog run on the Upper East Side, because tiny dog owners want a separate space for their petite pooches while large dog owners want a continuous space? The Parks Department has decided to put up a temporary fence (1,200 square feet for the small dogs, 5,000 for the big) to see how things go, but New York magazine reveals results of a dog census.
Lori Light, owner of a nine-pound Maltese named Rupert, has taken a dog census of 103 buildings near the park. The result (small dogs: 1,148; big dogs: 328) shows, she says, that “78 percent of the dog population is getting less than 19 percent of the space.”Know what we're curious about? The weight of the dogs. But a reader commented that originally the dog run would have given 2,000 square feet to small dogs, but at a Community Board 8 meeting, no small dog owners were present and the small dog run plan was eliminated. And New York Tails had an article about dog run segregation - it's a heated issue all over town, but manager of the Tompkins Square Dog Run Garrett Rosso said before putting in a small dog run, there "were over 67 serious dog fights and one reported death in 2001," but after, there's only been "one reported injury to small dogs."
Photograph of a dog at the Union Square Park dog run by Skaines on Flickr
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If the reason for separating small dogs from big dogs is size, complaining about receiving 19% of the space for 78% of the dogs doesn't make sense. If they do it in terms of total dog mass (or footprint or some actual measure of total dog size), the distribution probably comes out much fairer.
The reason small dog owners need their own little runs is that people with small dogs don't bother to train them. Their dogs tend to bark and bite and generally act obnoxious, and some big dog invariably kicks their ass for it, and (as long as they're not seriously hurt) the small dogs usually deserve it. More big-dog owners train their dogs better, because they have to. I'm sick of people with little dogs who think it's cute when their dogs growl and bite and bark and then have a heart attack when some bigger dog shows the slightest reaction.
Does anyone else find this issue to be completely silly? Are we really doing all this for dogs, and even debating big vs. small?!? They're DOGS!! Wish we could stir this kind of passion about real issues like homelessness, child abuse, etc.
It's not silly at all. Comments 1 and 2 are completely valid. Most small dogs are treated like the toys they were bred to be and never trained or treated like the rest of their species. People may think it's cute when they freak out and attack a bigger dog, but that large dog has every right to defend itself. If the small dog is injured or killed in the process, well that's just the hand of Darwin. Deal with it.
Reading in the Times this morning about a schizophrenic man who lived in an abandond underground train station in the bronx for years kind of puts the plight of poor nine-pound Rupert into perspective...
The statment that the original run for small dog run is 2000 sq ft is incorrect. Community Board 8 originally proposed an 800 sq ft for a small dog run and 4200 for a big dog run. This distribution between large and small dog run is comparable to most dog runs of similar size in the city.
having both big and small dogs, i believe the issue of poor training depends an the owner, not the size of the dog. problems arise when dogs don't accept their position in the pack and/or have not been properly socialized.
just like small children need playgrounds and bigger ones need basketball courts, the same issue apply for dogs. a yorkie or chihuahua can be seriously injured just from bigger dogs playing too rough or accidently tromping over them, regardless of owner training. would you let your 3-yr old run around the basketball courts during a pick-up game?!
as for importance, dog owners deserve a piece of the public space pie just as much as the tennis player or handball advocate. i would agree that we have a greater percentage of smaller dogs than other cities and need to consider that when spending tax payer's hard earned money.
"but manager of the Tompkins Square Dog Run Garrett Rosso said before putting in a small dog run, there "were over 67 serious dog fights and one reported death in 2001," but after, there's only been "one reported injury to small dogs." "
That statistic is comparing apples to oranges. It does not address how many dog fights there still are. Were all or modt of the 67 fights small dog vs. big dog fights? Probably not. Do serious fights still happen? Probably.
The statement that the original size for the small dog run was 800 sq ft is incorrect. The City planned a 2000 sq ft small dog run & then reduced it to zero after the large dog owners objected to it. After the small dogs fought back, CB8 conceded to 800 sq ft. As of today, it’s been increased to 1200 sq ft, only 800 sq ft less than the original plan. This is not comparable to most small runs, Carl Schurz is an overcrowded 1625 sq ft & the new Dewitt Clinton run will be 1800.
What people just don't seem to understand is that this is not just a matter of dog fights & aggression. Simply running after a ball, a 5-10 lb dog can be trampled & seriously injured by a dog 5-10 times its size & weight. A playful & innocent swipe of a 60 lb paw can rip apart a small dog. All of this happens to large dogs too! The difference is their size & weight usually protects them from serious injuries!
Small dog owner:
Please get your facts straight and stop spreading rumors about some original plan for a 2000 sf small dog park. Please list the name of the offical that actually told you that fact and the name of the large dog owner who had that much power.
It is part of public record found at community board 8 (212-758-4340) that by the time any dog owner knew about the new run, the dimensions were already set at 800sf for a small dog run and 4200 for a large dog run. The meeting dates were 2/1, 2/21 and 3/1.
To posters 2 & 4- you sound shrill and like 16. your ridiculous rants on small dogs couldn't sound anymore warped. to tell you the truth you probably hate most other dog's other then your own. Dog's are dog's, with no training and obedience they will all act annoying YES i've seen many BIG dogs with behavior problem. I don't start classifying dogs by size like your narrow minded rants would elude.
i've seen bad behavior from many many big dogs in the runs around the city. most owner of big dogs tend to wear there ego on a leash.
so stop your ridiculous generalizations and notice that NOT ALL small dogs are carried in furry pink bags and.
Why are so many being so nasty? This is just a matter of splitting a run that should accomadate both small & large dogs. Any reasonable person can understand why small dogs should not be playing with much larger ones.
How dare you people say that small dogs deserve to be attacked and injured by large dogs?! And to drag my good name into the debate is uncalled for!
If my theories are correct, most of you will be obsolete shortly!
I love you, Darwin.
Yours, Mother Nature